All you have to do is call my name, and I'll be there on the next train.

This is gonna be a short one.

Mainly, I'm just posting to alert the blogging world that LAUREN GRAHAM IS RETURNING TO TELEVISION. Yesiree-bob. Lorelai Gilmore herself, the queen of obscure pop-culture references, Miss Let's-see-how-many-words-I-can-spit-out-in-the-amount-of-time-it-takes-most-people-to-say-"what-up" is BACK. My hero has returned.

Now, for those of you who don't know (or can't tell from the above paragraph), I'm what you might call a colossal fan of Gilmore Girls. I began watching the show my freshman year of high school and immediately fell in love with these fast-talking, intelligent, funny, strong women. I wanted to be their friends. I accrued all of the seasons on DVD and proceeded to memorize oh, every line. It's actually kind of sad. Sometimes I get called out for things I say actually being lines from Gilmore Girls. I was heart-broken when Amy Sherman-Palladino left the show after season 6, and even more heart-broken when she didn't come back to do the finale the way she had always envisioned it (I NEEDED CLOSURE). And now after 2 years of drought, I can get my Lauren Graham fix back. I've seen Alexis Bledel in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies, but it's not the same, and Lorelai was always my favorite anyway. 

This is why, when Ben texted me today to inform me of this news, people around me thought that tragedy had struck based on my gasp of joy and anticipation. 

But here's the kicker, what if this show isn't good? I'm kind of afraid of letting Lauren back into my world because I'm afraid she'll disappoint me. It's like when you see that child stars are now homeless drug addicts. You want them to stay frozen in that ideal state. I don't see how she could possibly be working on a project that could ever reach the caliber of Gilmore Girls, so I hope she at least doesn't let me down. You hear me, Squegee Beckenheim? I need you to succeed. I'm gonna pretend like Even Almighty never happened. 

So suffice it to say, I will be watching this yet-to-be-named sitcom (cringe) when it airs. 

...and this was an entire post about Lauren Graham.

Love from Stars Hollow,

Kallam

 

pitter-pat, the angel on my shoulder is haunting me tonight

hello all. to start this blog post off with a little excitement,  i would like to announce that my weekend is starting a day early. my one class on friday was cancelled. it's ok to be jealous, but i don't really care. things like this don't happen often for me.

i bought a new ringtone today. it's the song by sara bareilles that is soon to become way over played: many the miles. i'm ok with overplayed though. anyways, buying the new ringtone reminded me of my last ringtone: gives you hell. when i bought that ringtone, i got some crap from katie k probably because it is a less than stellar song, but i went with it anyways. one wise thing katie k did say was that i was asking for my phone to go off in an inappropriate place like church. well thankfully church wasn't the place, but grandparent's house was (not the picture perfect place either). you better believe i answered that phone pretty dang quick. it was definitely time for a new ringtone. problem solved.

i ran into patrick shane walking across the quad today. he was eating a butterfinger which caught my attention cause butterfingers are only the best candy ever. i stopped to greet shane and inquire about his little treat. he said that he had just finished taking a math test and that he always rewarded himself with a butterfinger after math tests. i thought to myself what a wonderful idea. i should develop this habit. then i reminded myself that i treat myself to whatever i want whenever i want... i am not disciplined enough. 

also while walking across the quad, i tried to drink out of my water bottle while the top was still on. it was a little embarrassing. 

sorry this post was super lame, i just missed the blogging world. katie k and i have had a super-stressful week, and trust me, you don't want us to bore you with those stories... but we are pretty sure we are going to make it out alive. she'll be back to make you laugh/think (you never know what you'll get with her) very soon. 

chandler

(cause he is my second favorite character)

vague weekend recap

"... it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world. sometimes i feel like i'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much. my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... and then i remember to relax and stop trying to hold on to it. then it flows through me like rain, and i can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life. you have no idea what i'm talking about, i'm sure... but don't worry, you will someday." -american beauty

last night, i felt like i needed to get away and think. i just wanted some space, so i started driving. i drove all over northport. thank goodness for my decent sense of direction or else my little trek would have had an unfortunate ending. however, i found a little parking lot on the other side of the river where i had a surprisingly pretty view of campus. the dorms were lit up, and their reflections in the water created a mesmerizing picture. i sat there feeling like an outsider. the river had a magical power that was capable of disconnecting me from my life. the music drew me in, and i was overwhelmed everything... a good overwhelmed, i think. nights like last night make me so thankful that there is a god to be in control of my life. although i spend most of my time trying to take the control, i love the moments that god steps in and says see you can't do this on your own. my life has only gotten more complicated since i came to college, and yet it makes me love my life even more. 

in the end, i crossed back over the river and reentered my wonderful life. 

on a lighter note... not that he doesn't have enough nicknames already, but we have a new one for graham. it is spencer. next time you run across our friend graham, don't tell me he doesn't look/act a whole lot like a spencer. and if you get any negative reaction to the name from graham himself, just overlook it. that is all.

hope everyone is having a wonderful day because it is absolutely gorgeous outside!

phoebe

(because i feel like picking up a guitar and writing a silly song) 

peace out pledgeship

i drank a coke for breakfast yesterday.

i knew yesterday was bound to be a failure the moment i stole one of katie k's cokes for my breakfast. my hope was for it to mask my lack of sleep, but instead it cursed my day. things were going well for the majority of the day, but i knew better. i never have cokes for breakfast... deep down i knew deviating from the norm was only going to bring trouble. and boy did it. 

this week is chi omega initiation week, and last night a church service was held at canterbury episcopal for our pledge class. we were told to be there at seven thirty. i was on track to do just that until i realized i had no idea where this church was. after many frantic phone calls and some aimless driving, i finally found myself sitting right where i should have been ten minutes earlier: the canterbury church parking lot. we had been told over and over again that showing up late to the service was unacceptable. do i go in? do i not? my mind was doing summersaults. final decision: just do it. so there i go, walking into this silent church. being the uncoordinated person that i am, it wasn't possible for me to find the back entrance that would have allowed me to slip in unnoticed. no! instead, i found myself walking in right at the front of the stage. sweet kailey christian was up on stage reading a bible verse while i was parading in late in front of my entire pledge class. i was so shaken by this experience that for the rest of the service (what little there was left) i fumbled around with the wrong books and stressed out over flipping down the prayer benches. i sure know how to turn a simple task into an impossibly difficult undertaking. go me.

i would also like to note that kyle went to the wrong class yesterday. ha. 

and now it is time for me to (in patrick's words) complete my "week of judgement"... yay initiation!! see yall when i am an active.

joey (because i am hungry)

Whoa, baby, let the music play

Before anything else, go to my facebook and watch the video of Graham getting knocked off his chair while dancing like a maniac to "Call On Me." I'll be waiting here when you're done.

Finished? Hilarious, isn't it? I can't tell you how many times I've watched it. 

So, I've been working on my whole "do things not on the list" project (see my previous post) and found the perfect opportunity to try it out yesterday. I was driving to the AXO house for dinner, which is an occasion in itself since I usually eat there only once a week due to my own laziness and the generally marginal food served there. Anyway, I was driving over listening to 100.5, my new favorite radio station (keep it alive!) and just as I was turning off of University onto sorority row, they started playing "Dead To You" by Matthew Mayfield. I get really excited when I hear Matthew Mayfield on the radio, mainly because he's awesome, but also because I know him! Ok, his parents go to my church, but still. I found myself sad that I was going to have to stop listening to the song to go in for dinner, but then I glanced down at my clock and saw that I had ten minutes before dinner started.

Suddenly, I HAD to finish listening to the song. I had the burning to desire to keep driving, possibly forever, on open roads, listening to beautiful music (I've said before, this is my happy place). So, I kept driving and listened to the rest of "Dead To You." Next, was one of my favorite Dave Matthews songs which I sang at the top of my lungs. There was a minor glitch in my plan, though when I forgot they blocked off Bryant for construction and I got stuck in traffic and was late for dinner, but that's not the point.

The point is that I came to the realization that music has a big influence on the way I act and feel. Last night, I was driving back from the rec, listening to my "rec mix" full of songs that get me pumped and make me feel good, and "You Don't Know Me" by Ben Folds and Regina Spektor came on. This song will forever remind me of freshman year, fun times, and new friends. I blasted it and just drove around the parking lot until it was over. Then "Washed By the Water" by Needtobreathe came on, and I left my earphones in as I walked from the parking lot to my room, as the song made me feel loved and reminded me I'm not alone.

Music just has that affect on me (or is it effect?). I love the way it can fit my mood, or put me in a different one. It can move me to tears, or make me laugh and sing. Maybe I'm analyzing all this because I've been reading High Fidelity by Nick Hornby, which is all about music. I really love one line the main character, Rob says: "Sentimental music has this great way of taking you back somewhere at the same time that it takes you forward, so you feel nostalgic and hopeful all at the same time."

That pretty much says it all right there.

Nostalgic and hopeful,

Kallam

call on me

hello. hello. it is good to be back. katie k and i took a little blogging sabbatical in the mountains this weekend. in turn, we are both posting today (cause we just love it that much), so bonus for you, reader!

i really appreciate katie k's post cause i am a list maker too. we are very compatible in that regard. every now and then we even make a joint list. that's always special. but here and now, i am not going to tell you more of our list- making tactics. instead i am going to attempt to take you back to the time we spent in the mountains this past weekend, a rather colossal task... cause it was just that good. 

12 college kids. 5 hour car ride. 1 cabin. and snow. that is the recipe for a successful mlk weekend. we spent our first evening watching old disney movies, building forts, and having dance parties. childish you might think, but oh how wrong you are. we went to sleep that night in hopes that the next morning we would wake up to a winter wonderland. and that is exactly what happened. i woke up that morning to sweet mallie drew's voice telling me that it had snowed during the night. next thing i knew i was running around in the snow in my pajamas. not the wisest idea, but definitely worth it. breakfast that morning was a team effort. the end product was eggs, grits, bacon, bagels, cereal, and cinnamon rolls... a feast as some would say. the next few hours would consist of every snow activity imaginable. we had snow ball fights, went sledding, and ended by building a snowman. that afternoon was spent by the fire reading books, watching movies, and, in my case, napping. my nap ended with a horrible drooling incident which was rather ironic because pre-nap hill had just told a story about drooling. after riding out the embarrassment, i went down stairs where i encountered the titanic (not the actual boat but the movie... a little bit of a let down). celine , as always, sucked me right in. i felt as if i went down with the ship. however, i bounced back pretty quick, and after a nice warm shower, i was ready for the next activity. the plans for that night were to go to a restaurant right down the road and have a fancy dinner. we kinda hit a wall with that plan when we realized we were iced in. the solution we came up with was to cook for ourselves. and thus began our big adventure. with debell on the grill and ain't to proud to beg on the radio, we whipped up a delicious candle-lit dinner (thank you, hill). looking up and down the table that night made me so thankful for the people god has placed in my life. after a massive dishwashing extravaganza, the board games came out. taboo was the game of choice. although team 1 was the dominant group, team 2 had heart. just take a guess as to which team i was on. after the game, the competitive spirits needed to calm down, so we put in a couple of movies. i found myself watching "grease" with will, robert, and frank. we watched in awe as every line in the movie was a little bit cruder than the last. it's amazing the things in movies you don't catch as a child. to end the night, we had a pillow fight. this was not your typical feather-filled pillow fight; it was an all out brawl. what was learned from this experience? well... anna foley has a killer bit, katie k is claustrophobic, and i could probably survive a mosh pit. all in all, the weekend was a blast... a step away from reality. thank you for that, mallie drew!

in other news that cannot be ignored, i locked my keys in the car while the car was on. didn't know that was possible , but let me assure you, it is. 

monica 

(because katie k wrote a free verse poem about her today... emphasis on the free verse)

She's not crazy, just a little misunderstood.

I've always been a firm believer in lists. I think I inherited this trait from my mom. I find that the only way to keep myself sane is to make schedules and lists of when and where I'm going to get things done. I even find myself adding things to my list that I've already done just so I can immediately cross them off. Or I add mundane tasks that I HAVE to do so I can feel accomplished when I cross them off (i.e. brush teeth, shower, etc.). I may be lying to myself, but it makes me feel better.

Because I've been this way my whole life, I find myself completely stressed when, at the end of the day, the list is still chocked full of things I didn't get done that day or the same task pops up on the list every day for a month and I still haven't gotten it done. But I'm trying really hard to wean myself off of this mentality. Sometimes I have to literally tell myself that I don't have to get everything done. Sometimes it's ok to just sit in bed and watch Jon & Kate Plus 8 or read the Entertainment Weekly with Heath Ledger on the cover. I can do these frivolous things and not feel bad about myself. I will be a generally happier person if I make time to do the things I enjoy rather than wearing myself out doing tasks I don't.

So that's my self-analysis of the day.

I could write an entire blog post about this past weekend of mountains and snow, but there are so many humorous anecdotes from the trip that I simply cannot pick just one. In a nutshell, it was a great trip to get away, see God's beautiful world, and get to know people better. It's hard to come back from something like that and jump back into the world of lists. 

Here's a list of things that make me happy:

-LOST premieres tonight. It might as well be Christmas. 

-I have had a recent influx of new music. I'm overwhelmed as to what to listen to first.

-The poem I wrote for Spanish about Monica Gellar.

Ok, enough procrastination, I've got a list to get back to. 

Katie K. (because Sarah implied there was confusion as to who was posting what.)

See, I'm smiling; That means I'm happy that you're here.

I didn't intend to post today. I was planning to wait till after all of the antics of MLK weekend are said and done and then post an awesome recap post. But then I got on to check out the new name (yay!) and Katie's post (your dream was even funnier when read in blog form) and saw that she was beating me in number of blog posts. I suddenly became very insecure of this and decided to remedy.

Last night was the AXO karaoke party, and while hearing girls scream into a microphone mind-numbing renditions of songs I really didn't like to begin with (cough, "Achy Breaky Heart," cough) is not that appealing to me, I came to a realization. Because the party was at Brown's Corner, I was reminded of the very first party of my college career, AXO Bid Night party. While at the time I would have said that I had fun at this party, looking back I probably didn't. I barely knew any of my pledge sisters, or anyone else for that matter. I remember feeling out of place and uncomfortable around all these people who seemed to already have their friends and lives figured out. But last night I was encouraged to walk into Brown's and see people I knew. Not just acquaintances, but people I have formed genuine friendships with over the past six months that I know will only grow and continue. It was amazing to see how much can change from August to Jaunary. I'm so grateful for the people in my life right now and can't wait to meet more... that sounded really sappy, but it's true.

I love driving home from Tuscaloosa in the late afternoon. If I time it just right, I can watch the sunset in my rearview mirror the whole way home. Today, I saw one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in a while. I found myself glancing in my mirrors more often than necessary just so I could see the explosion of purple, orange, and pink blending so perfectly behind me. Some say this is because of pollution, but I don't care. As I listened to the saga of Jamie and Cathy in "The Last Five Years" (thank you, Barrett), I was in my happy place: driving, listening to beautiful, moving music, and thinking on God's faithfulness.

So, that's my post. I gotta keep up with my roomie.

we laugh just a little too loud.

i dreamed i was pregnant last night. it was my third child, and it was a girl. apparently you could tell it was a girl just by looking at me. impressive i know. and that's how my day started.

this blog post is simply to announce (with excitement) the new and final title of our blog: double bird strike. yesterday, katie k and i were sucked into the breaking news story about the airplane that crashed into the hudson river. i am not sure why, but i sat in front of my t.v. for a solid two hours just watching the same news footage be played over and over again. it was captivating. when the news anchor announced that the reason the plane crashed was because of "double bird strike," i naturally assumed that was code for and act of terror, etc. Amazingly, it is nothing more than a bird flying into each of the plane's engines thus creating a double bird strike. In the mist of all the drama, katie and i could not keep ourselves from giggling every time the phrase was used. In the end, we decided that the best way to honor this event was to dub our blog "double bird strike." embrace it.

read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jV9WYV6yQ3vPpmH9qhG6db-zhzqQD95NRK0O0

phoebe

(because of my amazing singing skillz... thank you axo karaoke party.) 

pathetic salsa dancing

let me take you back with me to last night when katie k and i made a little venture over to the always lovely "tulip towers" (the name has been changed for the protection of all involved in this story. safety first. we've learned that lesson.). we have made this trek countless times over the past six months, and every time we face the daunting task of getting through the front doors and onto the elevator without having an act card that works in said dorm. we have had a variety of experiences with the sketchy residence of this place because they are a necessity for us to successfully make it to the fourth floor. well last night we thankfully caught the main door as some people were leaving (sketchy people, i am sure). katie and i were chatting freely about goodness knows what as we approached the elevator. we were the only two there, and as if it were habit, i pulled out my act card and tried to swipe it. to you, reader, this story may seem unnecessary, but that is where you are wrong. "tulip" is not a warm or cozy place. you do not feel at home when you arrive, and for me to feel like my act card and i belonged there is saying something. i think it has a deeper meaning... probably not though.

along different lines, i made a discovery about myself today, not a very good one though. i avoid people and then turn around and put the blame on them for not talking to me. this, i decided, makes me a terrible person. i'm sorry william hoke. you ran great tonight at the rec. and if you, dear blog reader, are ever given this treatment by me, just come up to me and slap me or something. that will teach me a lesson. 

in other news, i was very productive today. folded laundry, an empty inbox, class attendance, and completed lab hours were all the result of my desire to check things off my "todo list." be proud of me please. this is quite a feat.

we are still on the hunt for a blog name. suggestions are welcome... encouraged actually. the title of this blog entry was in the running but got the boot, for good reasons. one of those reasons is because you have no idea what we are talking about... and never will. yet another roommate secret. i like those; they keep our massive following guessing (that's what we tell ourselves.).

ross

(because i felt scholarly today)

Oy, with the poodles already.

Memo to all female students of the University of Alabama: If it's cold enough for boots, it's too cold for shorts.

Phew, it felt good to get that off my chest. This, of course, is excluding the scenario where said female student is wearing leggings under the shorts. That is a-ok. I myself partake in this fashion choice. However, what I don't understand is bare legs when your feet are shoved into furry boots to keep your toes warm. Aren't your legs cold? Why are you sacrificing your thighs, knees, and calves to the elements while carefully protecting your feet? Do the boots really help to keep you warm if your legs are freezing? These are the questions that haunt me as I walk from Lloyd to Morgan on a Monday morning.

And, while we're on the subject of pet peeves, I feel the need to put this one out in the universe: Why can't you wait until the teacher as actually finished teaching the class before you pack up? Is class really that miserable that you can't wait five minutes? Do you realize that you're missing out on information that could appear on a test? Well, you're distracting me from gaining these last minute notes. 

So, now I sound like a really negative person. Maybe I am. 

You may have noticed that the title of our blog has changed to "no name" in the past 24 hours. We have seen the light and realized that internetland is no Disneyland, and we, thus, need to not reveal our whereabouts to all of blogdom. So, until we come up with a new name, we are no name. I don't know if it's possible to rename the URL. 

I'm watching the Seinfeld where Elaine dates a guy who's obsessed with "Desperado" by the Eagles, and it's really making me laugh. The sad thing is that I relate to this guy. I find myself distant and distracted in conversation when I hear a song I love. 

Now, to get around to my roomie story, which was my initial reason for blogging. Kate, Katie B., and I decided to go on a walk today. We went down by the river and decided to go the opposite way of the paved river walk. It is blocked off by a fence, but we quickly hopped that and set off down a woody trail. The further we went, the more rugged and treacherous the trail. Several times we thought the trail was ending, but we pressed on. We decided that Kate was Huck, I was Tom, and Katie B. was Jim. I think those descriptions are fitting. We finally reached the end of our trail under the bridge that crosses into Northport. We climbed the hill to stand next to the busy road. We had visions of people we know driving by, wondering what the heck we were doing on the side of the road. We felt pretty accomplished. I highly recommend the journey. 

Good thing I brought my phone so we could document it in pictures.

 

Ok, now time to go catch up on the Bachelor. Don't judge.

and so it begins...

hello blogging world. i must say this is a completely new experience for me, a very exciting one though. i would like to go ahead and apologize for not being witty enough to have a blog but having one anyways. it just seems like an excellent way to store all the fun little memories that slip my mind after telling katie k and having a slight chuckle or even at times quite a laugh over them. 

i really appreciate katie k's inaugural post because i would not have been successful in that daunting task, but now i am going to take it upon myself to give you a little background about us. 

katie k and i went to high school together back in birmingham. little did we know, spanish class junior year held our fate. it was there that we bonded over the fact that we had the same name and a similar desire to attend the capstone. from that time forward, we would walk the halls of briarwood side by side and be greeted as the katies. it was all fun and games really. we would spend hours discussing how we would make awesome roommates, and here at alabama those aspirations became reality. we have formed, in my humble opinion, quite a little roommate duo. i would have to say one of our favorite roommate activities is rehashing the day with each other and laughing at the things that happened, cause goodness knows we have a knack for having absurd things happen to us. here you can laugh along with us and help us to remember how wonderful our freshman year is.

so cheers to laughter and getting to know each other just a wee bit better... 

rachel

(i just decided here and now that i will sign each of my blog posts with the name of the "friends" character that i am most feeling like at the time. rachel is the lucky winner tonight... katie k knows why. i guess somethings will have to remain roommate secrets.)

New Year's Resolution #12

Welp, here we are. Katie B. and Katie K. starting our very own blog. I feel grown up and independent and suddenly like I have nothing in particular to contribute to the blog world. In many ways, I feel as if I am just jumping on the band wagon. Blogging seems like the "thing to do" for many of our friends here at the U of A, and maybe we are just copy-cats. However, our official reason for starting this blog can be summed up in our relationship as roommates.

Katie and I have been friends for many years, but since becoming roommates we have developed a love for regaling each other with anecdotes of things that happen to us throughout our daily travels. People we encounter, awkward moments we have, and embarrassing things we do are often the hot topics of these conversations. 

So we would like to share them with you, dear blog reader. We hope you like them/think they're funny. If you, don't, well, I suppose you don't have to read the blog. 

...and I just realized that the title of this blog is our exact place of residence. Not the greatest idea when it comes to personal safety and all that jazz.